CTT REVIEWS
This is what tourists have been saying about CTT’s leaders, guides, and tours…
“Our DRC-ROC trip was fantastic, it really could not have gone better. My colleagues at HBO have been thrilled with all the research, photos and info I brought back. I will definitely be going back over the next couple of years.”
– Barbara Kingsolver, Bellwether Prize winner & New York Times Bestselling Author of “The Poisonwood Bible” returning to her old neighborhoods and nooks deep in the DRCongo interior written about in the book, and exploring the ROCongo across the river.
http://www.kingsolver.com/
“CTT handling entire Rovos Train Tours, admin, and DMC as it crosses the Congo from Lobito to Dar”
“Really great, thank you. Lots of Bonobos, everyone very friendly, all the transport etc ran smoothly. The base camp was very nice – all the guys there went out of their way to make us feel welcome and the trackers were accommodating and let us have as much time with the bonobos as we wanted. Michel was particularly lovely – very jolly! And we even learned how to stay balanced on the back of those motorbikes on the dirt roads (!) thanks also to Hades who kept me up to date each morning in Kinshasa with pick up times, driver names etc.
Thanks to you for organising it all for us
^^ drc team is solid
It was really interesting to hear about all the projects happening, from partnerships with companies to the work diversifying food and income sources. Innocent was particularly passionate about the future for the villages and conservation efforts, and gave us lots of information. The boat sounds like a super project.
It’s such a wonderful country, and it is a shame that so many people feel despondent about things (although I can see why they do). Hopefully there are enough people with vision to keep the progress going! It sounds like your team certainly has the passion and enthusiasm for development! We definitely got that impression from everyone we met.
– Victoria and Friends on the New 2022 Bonobos Tracking Trip in the Wild of the Deep Abyssal Rainforest, Way up and off the Congo River
“Yes, we have a great time! And we had a great „gorilla day“ today.
Thank you for the uncomplicated service of everything.
I will recommend you!”
– Viele Grüß
Oliver Helmert, Gorillas and Jungle Tour
“Awesome! – I didn’t think I would have even had someone help me find them much less safely had been inside a few times.”
– Australian Geology Firm (Name Omitted) – Odzala Caves Exploration
“Michel did a stellar job on arranging it all.”
– Rovos Directors, Rovos Great Rail Train tour from ocean to ocean, Lobito to Dar through DRCongo 2022
– Lake Tele Expedition 2022
– Ian and Jacky (Got Engaged on the Trip!) Congo River Interior, Wild Bonobos, and Deep Jungle Expedition Budget Trip. Congrats to some of our favorite travelers (Mountain View, California, USA)
“Hi Jasmine
Thanks for services. All run perfectly and we spent very lovely days. I hope to back in future.
Thanks again and cheers”
– Stefano P., group of 3 Congo River and Congo Forest Villages Boat Route
“Numbers are only now beginning to bounce back thanks to groundbreaking conservation efforts. Part of the way in which gorillas continue to be protected is through organized ecotourism efforts. This involves reputed, licensed operators taking a limited and regulated number of visitors trekking into the mountains to observe gorilla groups that have been habituated to humans.”
– “D.M.” East Kivus Combo trip
Some of the best photos yet to date
“Dear Sasha, just to say I had a wonderful experience seeing the gorillas in Bukavu. Everything went so well and the experience of being in the jungle with the park guides and trackers was incredible.
Also, a special shout out to Mubeya, my driver from the Congo border to the park. He was great… a good driver and very knowledgeable and nice to talk with. I really liked him and would definitely recommend you continue using him…
(The driver on the Rwanda side was cool too.)
Overall a great success and the experience of a lifetime. Thank you so much!! “
– Tom Dyson, CTT Eastern DRCongo and Kivus Safari and Tour, Dec 2018
“Hi Chris,
It was great! The airport hospitality is wonderful and was very appreciated. Waiting with us for hours to get our luggage on the entry, and taking us into the Vodacom place at the airport for a SIM card, and then giving us a drink and letting us wait in their office at the airport on the exit. They were great about getting our luggage through/on board, buying the go pass, and walking us over, and getting through. Thank you for arranging for the ease and stress-free part of that. Very professional and no funny business.
Our guide Jeremie Ben was great. He graduated from academie des beaux arts so he made our visit there especially meaningful. It started to rain so we couldn’t do the walking tour I hoped for. He also recommended and took us to the best Congolese restaurant in town, Chez Flor. Koen’s recommendation for the best Lebanese restaurant was on the mark! We loved Le Palais. Niccolo said it was the highlight meal for him.
The Bonobo Sanctuary was perfect – lucky for us the rainy season hadn’t kicked in yet – there were deep trenches in the roads that only the expert driver and high 4-wheel drive could do. Our driver was great. We went to Lac de ma vallee too ! We were later told that it is packed on the week-ends, so we lucked out there too and had a lovely lunch and the place to ourselves with fun conversation.
It rained on Wednesday, so traffic in Gombe was not so nice. The prime minister was in town so we didn’t get to do the river walk I wanted to show Niccolo. But we still managed to buy fabric and have chocolate fondue at Nice Cream. I appreciated that later that afternoon they drove me to Ngiri Ngiri to see the young singers’ rehearsal and the Opera Fellows we have been working with, and also the music school building developments. The driver and guide waited for me and got me back to MPH safely. That was very kind of them, I know it was not easy.
Thank you again for wonderful trip arrangements !
Best wishes,”
– Joy Bechtler, Operanauts Princeton University and Orchestra Symphonic of Kinshasa Tour, Kinshasa and Princeton Orchestra Operanauts Tour
“Your guys were great, even bought me a beer when I insisted it should be the other way around! Tour was comprehensive, took in certainly all the sights around Bangui. Anyway, all went well, only problem was lack or slowness of wifi & that is why I am writing this from a ridiculously long line up at Paris airport…”
– CAR via Congo, the 2nd to Last Country in the World Visited by Phil Sauter from Perth
“Sasha,
Thank you for a wonderful tour. As you know this was my second gorilla trek but this was by far the best! The Congo the little bit we saw was beautiful. Again thank you”
– Denise Rollins and Family, Returned to Congo again after 2 years again for Eastern DRC Lowland Gorilla Trekking even with Virunga Closed, 2018
“Everything was great! Thank you so much for all your help.
The gorillas were very special, but I must say going to that village was truly the highlight of the trip. I was told that I was the first tourist to ever visit. Who does that?!?! Badji and his brother did a great job. I was lucky to have them both.
This was truly a one of a kind adventure!”
– BC, RoC Gorilla Tracking and Mayombe Forest Adventure
“My husband and I are delighted that Bryce had such a wonderful time, thanks to you!!
I know his video of the lucky encounter with the wild gorilla was a huge sensation with everyone on Facebook!
Thank you for giving him memories for a lifetime!”
– Jackie Caster, mother or Bryce Caster, Louna Park Safari, overlanding to Pointe Noire, and Loueme River Safari
“This year I was part of a team responsible for arranging he logistics of 6 professionals from a US based NGO who needed to get from Goma to Kindu and Kisangani. Congo Travel and Tours worked with us every step of the way. They helped us assure the safety of our travelers while organizing a detailed agenda. Not only Hotels, in country flights and ground transportation, but speed boat transport as well. CTT is very knowledgeable and professional!”
– Raptim Humanitarian Travel Team, All-Year Multiple Logistics to 15+ different DRC cities medical technology distribution program, 2016-17
“I travel a lot–my trip to republic of Congo
Was my favorite ever! Amazing! Thanks”
– Bill Cook, Birthday trip and Odzala National Park Safari
“Hi Seen,
I had an amazing time on the tour yesterday. You’re right that Badji is a star. And the interpreter Daniel was awesome. They took excellent care of me.
And the customer service was very good – prompt replies from you and Chris and a lot of helpful info pre-trip.
I would definitely recommend the tour to my family and friends or take another tour myself with your company if I come back.
Thank you!”
– Selina Harrington, UK, Best of Pointe Noire and Around Tour
“Hi Chris !
We really had a great time !!!!
It was good fun with Koen and Santa. They are super good guides 👍 👍 👍
Thanks for all the Organisation and the nice communication.
My wife likes the Hotel too. It was a good Choice as well.thank you very much for this good value Deal !!
Lets keep in touch and i will keep you informed. Hopefully we can do something together.
Cheers from Cape Town”
– Immo Steckler, Lufthansa Captain, Germany, Dual-Congo Budget Tour and Fun Circuit
“Having breakfast with magnificent view over the misty Sangha river… Can’t help thinking about Apocalypse now. Wading through shallow waters with the sun penetrating through the bursts of the forest’s leafy ceiling, creating a magnificent red and orange forest floor. Hiking through the deep mysterious jungle, flashes of gorillas in front of you as you walk, elephant sounds in the back, tons of beautiful butterflies gliding with us through the forest as our cano helps us through the swamp. Mysterious eyes of bush babies, fire flies and glowing spiders during night walks. The chanting of the pygmy hunters in the back of our truck … This has truly been one of my most fascinating travels so far …Satellite internet in the jungle from Central African Republic, pretty cool”
– Koen Dhuyvetter, Nouabale Ndoki and C.A.R. Combo Multi-country Tour
“I would just like to tell you that all three of us have now received our DRC visa’s which are one Month multiple entry. We would all like to say thank you for your assistance in obtaining this expensive and difficult visa here in the the UK.”
– Ian and specialist Overlanding team in the Congo crossing Africa
“Hi Koen,
Mr Badji did a nice job and the lunch on the sandbank island (in the Congo River) was really quite memorable. Mr Badji was very pleasant and I enjoyed seeing the rapids on the river and the boat trip especially.
Thanks for the coordination.
Best”
– Joe Busby, USA, Congo Custom Tour
“In July 2015 I made a trip of almost three weeks in DR Congo. John Katumba from CTT (CT) was my guide. First we visited Kinshasa and the surrounding area including the bonobo sanctuary and the Zongo Falls. Then we flew to Mbandaka for a week-long trip in the deep jungle. We visited a number of Pygmy villages, by pirogue. Unique experience. Finally, we flew to Lubumbashi where we visited the Lofoi Falls and the mining area around Likasi. All in all it was a fascinating journey. DR Congo is not the easiest country to travel. All the time John took great care of me, paying attention to my health and safety. Also in situations where things turn out differently from what was planned or anticipated, John came up with a good alternative. In one word, John is a very professional guide. I warmly recommend him.”
– Hans, Netherlands, Grand Panoramic Tour of Interior DRC
“Hi Seen,
We very much enjoyed our tours with your team. They did an excellent job taking care of us at every venue and in every way, not to mention how well they responded to our requests for changes in the itinerary as we went along. The entire week was a fascinating experience, especially between destinations, when we were able to get out into the streets, markets and communities and see “real life”. Our guide Erneste did a superb job during every one of those “detours” and made us feel quite comfortable no matter where we were.
The major highlights of the week for us were exploring the amazing little ecosystem that has evolved under the spray and mist on the cliffs facing the Zongo Falls, visiting the arboretum and botanical gardens at Kisantu (we skipped the caves at Mbanza Ngungu that day and spent all our time there instead!), and walking through some of the small villages to meet the people and learn how mbika and cassava are made.
You were actually recommended to me by an acquaintance at the US Embassy in Kinshasa, and I would happily recommend your tours to my friends, as well. I felt that there was an amazing level of personal service throughout the entire process, from your quick response to my questions during the booking process right through “goodbyes” with our team on the last day. We could not have asked for a better experience.”
– CB & Erica Stevens, USA, DRC Custom Tour Multi-day
“Tele Expedition – What a corker!
I’d seen lac Tele on the map and decided it was something worth walking to. It’s in the middle of no where, lac Tele national park is famous for having the highest density of gorillas in the Congo basin and the swampy terrain necessary to get to the lake sounded like a true challenge.
I later found Congo Travel and Tours were running trips to Lac Tele and got in touch. Chris, the director, immediately got back to me with all transport and logistic details I needed. I was in Brazzaville at the time and he set me up with his lead guide, Omar Badji.
Having travelled from the U.K. to Congo-Brazza by motorbike I had some understanding of organisational difficulties in Africa, however I couldn’t have done Lac Tele without Chris and Badjie. They know all the major players in the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and, importantly, Boha village. Boha, with its central chieftain, melee of influential families and seeming autonomy was one of the highlights of my trip. However gaining permission to visit the Lac from the chieftain (“The Notable”) and appeasing the different families is not a joke. Chris and Badjie ensured that I had everything I needed to ensure things ran smoothly. My WCS guide (Sylvester Ebethas, a native from Boha) also acted as an effective mediator.
The trek is every rainforest explorers dream – there is a 50km ‘piste’ from Boha to the Lac. It takes you through ancient untouched forests and a bugger of a swamp. WIldlife seems to gravitate to the lac, so if you’ve spent the entire trek staring at the ground to avoid the roots or searching for the lead porter, you’re in for a treat when you arrive. Crocs, chimpanzees, gorillas, (and supposedly bonobo’s) all live by the lac’s banks which you can explore by foot or canoe.
So a big thanks to Congo Travel and Tours who were accomodating to my needs and made thhe expedition possible! Cheers”
– Alex P, UK, Motorcycle Trip across the entirety of Africa and Lake Tele Abyssal Zone Wilderness Expedition
“Hi Chris,
Your staff and tour team were amazing! Ana showed up on time, which, after our experience with getting to the Congo, was amazing in itself. I loved the trip up the river in the pirogue and hope that Ana got a photo of me in the boat. I did get lots of interesting photos myself. My favorite parts the next day were visiting the museum about de Brazza and seeing the boys jumping into the rapids on the river. This part may not have been on the original tour but suggested by Fernand as a place to have lunch — at the Rapids restaurant. Fernand, Mayc, and Serge were all reliable, caring and hospitable. They made me feel at home. Ana is a jewel — friendly, reliable, adventurous and lovely.
The trip to the gorilla preserve was also excellent. The preserve itself was very nice and it was wonderful to see the work they are doing protecting the gorillas. I sent two photos to Ana of the gorillas, but will send some other photos later.
I would recommend Congo Travel and Tours to friends and family. Thank you for making the trip to Congo such an excellent experience.”
– Linda Hoover (and David Hoover) , Louna and Gorillas Overnight, Congo River Full Day Tour, and Brazzaville City, Culture, and History Tour, USA
“How are you? Have you recovered from our adventure in Congo?
I am at Toronto Airport on my way home and have finally found a working online connection. The gorilla watching was absolutely great (and easy on the body).
First of all I want to apologize for not taking some (more) time to talk to you at Brazzaville Airport. I was really stressed out.
Ethiopian Air cancelled my booking when I could not produce a credit card that paid for the flight. I could not produce it because my bank had forced me to get a new one because my old one was threatened with fraud. No discussion would change their mind so I had to buy a new ticket for USD 1,100! I was in the middle of this discussion when you brought my luggage up. The ticket agent said I could make the flight if I got the ticket bought in 10 minutes. Again my apologies for being short with you.
My sincere thanks to you and the cooler for making a potentially really tough trip really kind of fun. Without you my trip would have been a disaster.
Please keep in touch and let me know how you are doing.
Thanks again,”
– John Patterson, Nouabale Ndoki National Park Safari
“Thank you so much for all your help ,and information. We can definitely recommend CTT to our friends. Best wishes and many thanks,”
– Carol McGrath, Australia, Congo Custom Tour (Independent Travelers)
“It was a great day out!. The mausoleum was very interesting as was the river and the bonobos. We had a big rain the night before so a bridge washed out near the bonobos, but the guides managed to get me there still via foot and motorbike for the last segment. The two guidemen were very nice and did a good job. I liked all aspects of the tour – it was a great day out and a very nice way to see Kinshasa especially as a single visitor.”
– Andrea Esser, Solo Female USA Traveler, Kinshasa day tour
“Am just back from a wonderful 2 centre trip to the Republic of Congo. Started with 3 days in Pointe Noire and Conkouati National Park on the coast. The 2 days spent at the chimp rehabilitation and re wilding centre deep inside the park were magical, especially the boat ride up river into dense jungle. The volunteers, Heather, Clement and Chloe, couldn’t have been kinder and my CTT guides Badji ( who coped gallantly with my abominable French! ) and Yves really went out of their way to make my stay a happy one. Much appreciated. The second leg took me to Brazzaville and included a ride up the mighty Congo to a fishing village and 2 days in Louna National Park, accompanied by lovely French Canadian Michael, who was the perfect host/guide… ,everything laid on right down to the bottle of Absolut he whipped out of his cold box along with a smoked chicken at our jungle camp. The camp has all mod cons, don’t worry. The baby gorillas were beyond cute. The Congolese conservation staff do a fantastic job of caring for the orphaned ( with the hope of re introducing them into the wild ) and the elderly. The river trip was another stunner. In Congo, don’t expect to see animals in the vast numbers you might get in the safari parks of Eastern and Southern Africa but the quality of the experience is what counts not the quantity of creatures. I will never forget the brief moment I looked into the eyes of a shy forest elephant only feet away in Conkouati and close encounters with swimming hippos in Louna Park; the boat had to make a rapid getaway from a big male who objected to us lurking around his ladies. CTT does a very professional job… and that’s from someone who works in the tourism industry herself! Highly recommended.”
– Charlotte Freeman, Singapore/UK, Age 65 , Coast to River Odyssey
“CTT’s Guides are super nice. Things like the hot shower in the jungle was totally appreciated. Watching diving swimming elephants is special and amazing on the tour. Baby elephants are very kawaii (cute). This time was best season, best timing, I like seeing summer squalls in the jungle too is very magical. CTT service was very good and met all expectations, even though this is the most difficult destination I’ve been in africa.”
– Hisako Matsui, age 62, Japan, on Nouabale Ndoki National Park Safari
“Have always been professional with our two trips with them… Before the trip: (Our guide) was punctual in our appointment, answered all our questions, gave us all kinds of information, prices were clear, and payments should be done. We were very satisfied with the security. They did not take risks… They asked us questions and corrected along the way if it was necessary (change of hotel, food, etc.) We recommend the excursions to other friends and colleagues and we want more excursions if the opportunity arises. (Other guide) is a good communicator with tourists and with the villagers we visited. We had the impression that he was respected by the people of the places we went. This also allowed us to feel safe and welcomed by the villagers. Our experience with him was very positive and we highly recommend it.”
– Carmen (Bordeaux)
“It was a really good tour!! With our local guide and driver I got what I expected.”
– Torsten (Germany)
“I definitely enjoyed my time at RoC, and Brazzaville with CTT, a fun group of people and very international company.”
– Ivan (Moscow)
What we liked about CTT was…
-Ability to customize a trip based on our availability.
-Chris and Sasha (English Speaking Staff) accompanying us on our trip
-Travel to and from Conkouati-Douli NP was done in a Toyota Landcruiser with an experienced driver Serge. After the rains, driving on unpaved roads was difficult and our car proved that it was made to handle this type of surface while other cars were stuck in the mud.
-The activities like Chimpanzee visits, boat ride (from the national park) to the beach, kayaking, and meals at a local village”
– Francis & Melissa (Hawaii)
“People like you based in ecotourism are just as important as us scientists and researchers in keeping these last wild areas under protection for as long as possible by exposing them for what they are, natural resources in need of conservation. You deal mainly with convincing the public while we deal mainly with convincing the government.”
– Nancy Barker, Ph.D. Candidate – Conservation Ecology
Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management
University of California at Berkeley, USA
“We had an amazing, unforgettable time. Thanks so much. The guides were wonderful and it was great to see so much of Congo.
Tresor was an absolute star from start to finish. She looked after us brilliantly in Pointe Noire, was great fun, and our knight in shining armour on numerous occasions during the rest of the trip.
We loved Mr. Badi! Such a sweet, kind man and a very skilled guide. Travelling through the villages would have been impossible without him. He kept in touch throughout the rest of our trip too, checking everything was going well. He’s brilliant…
You guys chose a great route for us, and nice hotels, and everything went really smoothly (considering it was Congo!) We have a ridiculous number of great memories. Maya and I are not on Facebook but if you want a quote from us, endorsing you, we’d be very happy to provide. We would definitely recommend your company, and Congo, to our friends. The whole trip exceeded our expectations.
Just had a look at Madagascar. Looks tremendous.”
– Hope all’s well with you all,
Joe and Maya
“How was the transportation arranged?”
“Excellent – the cars were well serviced, clean and very comfortable. There was a small problem due to the roads one day, but the company repaired it very quickly.”
– Barry and Arunee, Canada and Thailand, Goma City Tour, Virunga Gorilla Trek, and Nyiragongo volcano trek
“Were timings maintained according to the plan?”
“Definitely – we were always picked up on time and the driver was always ready & waiting when we finished our treks & tours.”
– Barry and Arunee, Canada and Thailand, Goma City Tour, Virunga Gorilla Trek, and Nyiragongo volcano trek
“Was the Guide professional?”
“Yes – but we wish we spoke French so that we could benefit more from his knowledge.”
– Barry and Arunee, Canada and Thailand, Goma City Tour, Virunga Gorilla Trek, and Nyiragongo volcano trek
“Was the cook up to the standard?”
“We did not use the cook services.”
– Barry and Arunee, Canada and Thailand, Goma City Tour, Virunga Gorilla Trek, and Nyiragongo volcano trek
“Were the meals according to your taste?”
“We did not use this service.”
– Barry and Arunee, Canada and Thailand, Goma City Tour, Virunga Gorilla Trek, and Nyiragongo volcano trek
“How was the selection of hotels?”
“Very good – Ali and CTT patiently took us to several different hotels in Goma until we found one suitable for our needs & budget.”
– Barry and Arunee, Canada and Thailand, Goma City Tour, Virunga Gorilla Trek, and Nyiragongo volcano trek
“How would you rate the overall arrangements for the tour 1-5 ( Worst (1) – Best (5) )?”
“Definitely ‘5’.”
– Barry and Arunee, Canada and Thailand, Goma City Tour, Virunga Gorilla Trek, and Nyiragongo volcano trek
“Will you suggest the same tour to your friends and colleagues?”
“Yes, definitely.”
– Barry and Arunee, Canada and Thailand, Goma City Tour, Virunga Gorilla Trek, and Nyiragongo volcano trek
“Any other comments/suggestions:”
“Thank you again for all the support. One thing we appreciated was that Ali & Jean Paul were always ready to do a little extra to assist us. For example, if we needed to do some shopping, they were happy to take us. Also, they never put extra deadline pressure on us when renting the car. We could return anytime from our trek or tour, and this made the experience much more pleasurable.
“Ali also made our tours much more interesting by unexpectedly providing us with some snacks several times and by providing very detailed information about Goma, Virunga National Park and traveling in these areas.”
